Mansa (Punjab): Punjab Police have arrested an alleged aide of Ashwani Kumar, the medical store owner accused of shooting anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh alias Jhota dead in Mansa on Tuesday.

The main accused remains on the run, according to reports, as investigators pursue leads in the murder case.

DIG Bathinda Range Harjit Singh confirmed the first arrest while speaking to a private television channel. Reports also indicated that members of Kumar’s family had been detained. However, the identity of the arrested aide and the specific allegations against him were not immediately available.

The arrest comes hours after Jhota was shot dead during a confrontation with a medical store owner over the alleged sale of intoxicating substances.

Four of the activist’s companions were also injured in the shooting, which was captured during a Facebook Live broadcast.

What is the arrested aide’s role?

Police have described the arrested person as an alleged accomplice of Kumar, but further details about his identity, his relationship with the main accused and his suspected involvement in the crime are awaited.

It is also unclear whether the person arrested allegedly assisted Kumar before or after the shooting. Investigators are expected to establish the sequence of events and determine whether others were involved in the killing.

Kumar allegedly fled after the shooting. He is the main accused, and the reported arrest marks the first breakthrough in the investigation.

Jhota and Ashwani Kumar had a history of confrontation

The case has drawn renewed attention to an earlier dispute between Jhota and Kumar dating back to 2023.

According to reports, Jhota and his supporters had confronted Kumar over allegations that banned intoxicating capsules were being sold through a medical store.

Kumar was reportedly paraded through a market in Mansa with a garland of shoes around his neck. Police registered a case against Kumar after a complaint by Jhota, and also booked the activist over the incident.

Jhota had campaigned against drug abuse and the alleged illegal sale of intoxicating substances in and around Mansa for years.

He ran an organisation called Force and frequently confronted people he suspected of being involved in the trade.

Shooting captured during Facebook Live

On Tuesday morning, Jhota confronted the medical store owner over the alleged sale of intoxicating substances to an elderly man.

A five-minute, 48-second video on Jhota’s Facebook page showed the activist questioning the shop owner and demanding access to the establishment’s CCTV footage.

The argument escalated, with Jhota questioning why the shop owner had allegedly taken out a pistol. After several minutes of heated exchanges, the owner allegedly opened fire at close range.

Jhota sustained three bullet injuries, two in the abdomen and one in the thigh. Mansa Civil Hospital Senior Medical Officer Dr Gurmail Singh said one of the bullets pierced the activist’s liver, causing his death.

Four companions were also injured, with one reportedly suffering serious injuries.

The killing has intensified scrutiny of Punjab’s drug problem and the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign.

Opposition leaders from the BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress have criticised the state government over law and order and its efforts to curb the drug menace.

With an alleged aide now arrested, investigators must establish his precise role in the case and trace Kumar, who remains the main accused.